New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez (6) on the sidelines during the game agains the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. / The Star-Ledger, USA TODAY Sports

by Kevin Manahan, USA TODAY Sports

by Kevin Manahan, USA TODAY Sports

As quarterback Mark Sanchez feared, the New York Jets placed him on injured reserve Saturday with a dislocated shoulder and possible torn labrum.

But there's a catch: The Jets have designated him to return, using their one IR exemption on a backup quarterback who doesn't fit into their plans - and would be booed lustily by Jets fans if he ever did get back on the field.

So, once again, the math in Jetsville simply doesn't add up.

Or, maybe it does, if you consider the $8.25 million the Jets are paying Sanchez for this season, along with the likelihood that this maneuver is a plea from general manager John Idzik and coach Rex Ryan to get something - anything - for that money.

Said Idzik on Saturday: "Doing this is in keeping with our primary goal of giving Mark every chance to return to practice and play this season."

But why use the team's only IR reinstatement on a non-starter?

"He's a quarterback," Idzik said on a phone conference with the media. "He's a very important player to our team."

It's an answer that, frankly, makes no sense and perpetuates the question: Does anyone running the Jets know what they're doing? Or, can they tell the truth?

On Saturday, Sanchez said he was "not blindsided by the IR designation" and will try to rehab the shoulder into shape. Surgery is not a guaranteed fix.

So, while the Jets have stashed him on IR, they're not done with him. But why not?

Possibly, the designation for return is part of a deal to keep Sanchez quiet and not have him publicly question Ryan's boneheaded move to play him in a meaningless preseason game and leave him vulnerable to the hit that injured his shoulder - just as Sanchez believed he had won the quarterback competition.

The Jets, with rookie Geno Smith starting, don't need the blaring back-page headlines Sanchez could generate if he bad-mouthed the organization about the way he has been treated - before and after the injury.

Ever since Sanchez was hurt against the New York Giants, the Jets have promised that IR would be used only as a last resort, even though it seemed like the most logical move for a badly injured quarterback who has become public relations baggage for a team already burdened with an ongoing circus atmosphere.

When asked Saturday if playing Sanchez in that game was a mistake, Idzik said, "No, it was not a mistake," then added, "we're not going to look back."

And they're hoping Sanchez doesn't look back, either.

And on Saturday, he was a company man all the way. He rebuffed questions about his specific injury, which remains a mystery. He said owner Woody Johnson's ridiculous claim that Sanchez should have protected himself against the injurious hit "doesn't bother me."

And when asked if he expected to be the starter when he returned, he said, "We'll cross that bridge when we get there," although he added: "I'm expecting to be the starter. Always have."

On Friday, Ryan disputed Sanchez's claim that he had won the quarterback competition with Smith before Sanchez was injured. Sanchez had called his victory a "done deal," but Ryan said, "I never told him he won the competition. That's his opinion."

Keeping Sanchez quiet or sticking to the company line doesn't necessarily make the circus go away, however.

Now, by designating Sanchez for return - the earliest would be Week 11 - the Jets have kept the carnival atmosphere alive around Smith. If the rookie should falter late in the season, Sanchez, healed and waiting on the sideline, will become a distraction. He'll be an even worse problem if the Jets are in the playoff hunt.

And, of course, if Sanchez rehabs at the Jets' facility, his progress will be a week-to-week public relations headache for a team already with too much drama, including (among others) a likely lame-duck coach, a suspended running back (Mike Goodson) who was the new GM's proudest free-agent acquisition, and now looming suspensions and fines after Thursday night's brawl with the New England Patriots.

On Friday, Ryan cautioned against shoveling dirt on Sanchez's career with the Jets by saying it's "realistic" that Sanchez could heal enough to play this season - and that's why the Jets hadn't placed Sanchez on injured reserve.

"If we didn't think it'd be realistic that Mark would get on the field, then he would be put on IR, and that's not the case," Ryan said.

On Saturday, neither Idzik nor Sanchez indicated what had happened in the past 24 hours to change that.

The Jets, meanwhile, have plenty of quarterbacks, which is another factor that makes the move curious. They recently signed veteran Brady Quinn, and Matt Simms won a training camp battle for the No. 3 spot.